Les Voisins
by Vanessaarcher
Summary: Starting a revolution by invitation wasn't necessarily difficult. Keeping the people in line wasn't either. Making sure not to form bonds with the enemy was.


**Happy Holidays everyone! This is a late Christmas/New Years present. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.**

* * *

After hearing about their neighboring country, Genosha, and their revolution against their government, Westchester felt that they wanted to do similarly.

They had been living under opression for countless years and felt entitled to a change. Their country groaned simultaneously with an overbearing tyrrany and extensive debt from assisting the Genoshans during their revolution.

A few small outbreakslater, they began to realize what little impact they had in their own country. They begn worrying for their life and had no idea what would happen to them in the future. Luckily, Elect Lord Erik L. Caught wind of the horror that the people of Westchester were going through. Furiously, he immediately began planning an invasion.

Then, he recieved an invitation.

Reading it, Erik grinned. "They've actually written to is to let us invade. Their government is actually so terrible, they are begging for assistance." He went straightaway to the Elect Minister Shaw, and told him of their problem.

The minister was relaxing against his desk when Erik busted in. Raising his eyebrows, he questioned Erik, who held up the letter, "They want us to invade." Shaw shrugged his shoulders, and gave the reply "I suppose that would make sense. Have they given anything as collateral, you know, a gift for our assistance?"

Erik straightened his shoulders.

"No, sir. I believe they expected us to comply because of their help during our revolution."

Erik eyed Shaw as he pretended to think about it. "Hmmm," he rubbed his chin "That just doesn't seem very appealing to me." Wearily nodding, Erik sighed "I suppose I can try to answer, and ask a few questions."

Shaw grinned wickedly. "Good boy, but that will not be necessary. I've decided that invading is the best choice. I'll inform the others."

Erik saluted Shaw, and left the room. He never particularily liked Shaw, but he'd also never done anything to hurt him. He began unstrapping his gauntlets, and headed to his room in the ravaged castle.

After the people of Genosha had overtaken the government, they understood that they could not live by anarchy. They chose to elect a single minister and twelve lords.

Then they opened the castle as room for peasants and homeless people. Theg took all the valuables and put them away to prevent thievery. It was a pretty good working system.

Erik eventually made it to his room and got out of his armor. He changed and started packing. He figured that he might as well start, since Shaw had a big influence over the assembly and they would most likely leave tomorrow.

He wondered what Westchester looked like. As a child, his mother had taken him to the borders, but he had actuslly never left the country.

He quickly finished packing, and blew out the candle, letting darkness overtake the room.

* * *

Westchester was very close to Genosha, whicb made it surprising that Shaw let the army take horses, and so much extra supplies. It wasn't like they were going to stay for long. They would get rid of the government, and let Westchester rule themselves, right?

The ride to Westchester was pleasant enough, mainly hilly grass meadows, and flat plains. As they neared the capital, the army slowed.

Shaw rode to the front of the group and gave a short speech.

"This land is suffering just like we once did. It is our duty to relieve them of their selfish government. As Elect Minister, I will speak to the tyrant to see what he will be willing to give for his life. Do not harm him. Let us conquer, and return in good health."

The small army cheered, and they rode into town prepared for the worst.

* * *

And they won.

It turned out that the king was such a glutton that he would rather die than give up any of his gold. So Shaw killed him mercilessly.

The small army was now asked to bring the news of the death of their king throughout the country. Erik was assigned a small region in the far south.

As he rode dosn, he noticed the lack of crops growing in the fields. Were the people of Westchester thst lazy? Maybe the soil had been overused, and they didn't know how to refresh it.

He neared the outskirts of the town, and saw lots of people lining the cobblestone streets. He tried to ask thdm for an interpreter, but struggled because no one knew his language at all. He eventually found the library, and the librarian inside. He thought it would be smart to pick up a translation guide to help him ask a few questions.

He approached the librarian, and flipped through the book, looking for the correct translation. But the librarian surprised him.

"Hello, my name is Henry McCoy. Can I assist you in anyway?" he said in perfect Genoshan. Erik's eyes widened. "You speak Genoshan?"

"Yes, I do." he replied. "Do you need something specific?"

Straightening, Erik announced "I am Elect Lord Erik Lensherr. By the authority of our Elect Minister, Sebastian Shaw, I have been asked to announce the death of your previous tyrant. I havd also been asked to survey the people and their needs, so we can distribute what we have."

The last part was a lie, but he didn't care.

The librarian's near-smile faltered. "We didn't ask for help, we are fine..."

Erik interrupted "I cannot understand exactly why you state that you are fine. I have seen the homeless swarming the streets." Grumbling slightly, Henry took the dictionary from Erik's grasp and put it back on the shelf.

"Come on," Henry commanded, pulling on a jacket before opening the library's door. And Erik followed

* * *

The village was so small, within ten minutes they had reached the storehouse. Henry knocked on the door, and almost immediately a tall young woman with honey colored hair answered.

"Hank!" she squealed, and hugged him fiercely. Henry flushed, and gently pried her off of him.

"Sorry," Henry apologized in Genoshan. "I thought Raven's sister was working at the storehouse today." Suddenly, Raven was taken aback, "Is he a foreigner?". Henry nodded.

Erik walked through the door as Henry conversed with Raven. They continued to exchange words until they shook hands.

Henry walked to Erik and said "Ravdn is very disorganized, and has misplaced their list. She says that her sister next door knows where it is. Is that alright?"

Erik nodded. They exited the storage house and entered the bakery that was next door. Rather than the expected flurry of people waiting for their bread, there was a single woman leaning on the floury counter, obviously daydreaming.

"Charlotte!" Raven yelled. The other young woman's - Charlotte's - eyes focused again, and noticed a steady stream of smoke coming from the oven. Shocked, but obviously dealt sith this before, Charlottetook a bucket of water and put out the flames in the stove.

It looked like she was apologizing, but Erik wasn't sure.

Sensing the confusion, Henry talked to Charlotte who started smiling.

"Hello, Erik. My name is Charlotte, and I am sorry about the mess." She held out her hand.

Erik only stared. How strange it was that two plain villagers knew perfect Genoshan. He took her hand, and shook it, then looked into her unusually bright blue eyes.

Her soft milky-white skin was framed with thick dark romantic curls. But her hair was not put up like other ladies in the town; it was blowsy, like she had been standing out in the wind. She had a bright pink spot on her cheek where she had been resting her hand. It was a very attractive look on her, Erik decided.

He came back to reality, and stuttered "It's no problem. If you don't mind me asking..." Erik started hesitantly.

"Not at all." Charlotte interuppted happily. Her face colored and she muttered "Sorry for interuppting."

"Not at all, Miss Charlotte." He smiled slightly, not showing his teeth. "I was wondering, how do you know Genoshsn so well? It's strange."

Charlotte waited until he finished and responded "At the beginning of the year, only Hank knes it fluently. As Westchester has grown, it started looking to Genosha for revolutionary catalysts. I tried to translate one document, but it was taking too long, so I instead had Hank tutor me. Efficient, isn't it?" She smiled.

"Very." He replied.

Charlotte sighed before taking in her surroundings, and quickly told Raven and Hank that they could go back to their jobs.

Charlotte turned around and opened the great black iron stove, waving smoke around, trying to dissapate it. With a pair of thick gloves, she grabbed out a hard, charred loaf of bread and threw it away.

She took a large bowl of dough, and separated a chunk, kneading it on the floury counter. "So," Charlotte sounded strained "What are you doing so low in Westchester? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the capitol?" Erik nodded "Yes, many Genoshan soldiers are guarding the capital, but I am no soldier. I am one of the twelve 'Elect Lords', and was chosen to check the distrobution of food in this region."

"Oh," exclaimed Charlotte, as if understanding who she was talking to. "Well, I promise this isn't an everyday occurance, I mean, you've seen our storage house..."

"Everything is fine, Charlotte," Erik reassured, "Elect Minister Shaw is gracious and wants to help all of us."

"He has given us everything we could need. A non-tyrannical figure-head. A place to live. Food to eat. Genosha has become what all the philosophers dreamed, and it is beautiful."

Charlotte clasped ber hands."If it is anything like the great philosophersave written of, it must be paradise."

"It is." Erik agreed.

Charlotte straightened her shoulders, dusting the flour off of her hands. "If so, I want to do anything in my power to help my country become like yours."

"Wonderful," said Erik, "I need you to keep providing for the villagers and keep up the morale." He walked to the door. "I many not return, but I will always be able to be found." With that, he left, hardly noticing Charlotte waving goodbye.

* * *

Erik rode to the castle swiftly, without any trouble or a worry for anything. The girl he had met was so soft, so bendable to his ideas. It had hardly taken any work to convince her to join his side. If all the people from Westchester werd that moldable, they would have no problems assimilating Westchester into Genosha. No doubt, that was what Shaw was planning. He made it to the castle walls, but remembered the storage list. He had forgotten to ask for it.

No matter, it wasn't his real job anyways.

He found his new room in the palace an fell asleep. He could report to Shaw the next day

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 **What did you think? Should I add a second chapter? Please comment below.**


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